Nature Films & Video on DVD

2011 Archives

Friday, Dec 9, 2011, 7 pm, at the Senior Center in Port Angeles, 328 East 7th St. This is a benefit for the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club so there is a $5 donation at the door. Hope to see you all there!

Monday, Dec 12, 2011, 7 pm, at the Kitsap Unitarian Fellowship Church in Bremerton, 4418 Perry Ave NE. The event is sponsored by the Peninsula Wilderness Club and is free to the public. Club business starts at 7 pm, then the show will go on at 8 pm.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 7:00-8:30 pm : REI in Seattle will be screening The Irate Birdwatcher. It's free, but space is limited so it's best to sign up for it under Seattle's Store Events on their website. We will be on hand to present the film and to answer questions. Hope to see you all there. For more details go to the IBW website

2010 Archives

09.22.10 : Crest Pictures was just notified that we received awards for both our latest films at the 2010 Yosemite Film Festival. The Irate Birdwatcher ... our feature about wilderness preservation ... received the Silver Sierra Film Award in their Environmental Film Competition. Right Here, Right Now ... our short about wilderness BASE jumping ... received the El Capitan Film Award in their Short Film Competition. We are pleased and extremely honored for this special recognition of our work.

Friday, July 30, 2010 7:00-9:30 pm : The good folks at the popular "Friday Night at the Meaningful Movies" series in Seattle's Wallingford Neighborhood will be sponsoring a free screening of our film The Irate Birdwatcher. The public is welcome to join in the festivities. For more information go to their website

7.22.10 : Crest Pictures is proud to announce The Irate Birdwatcher has been accepted into the Port Townsend Film Festival to be held on Sept 24-26, 2010. Hope to see you all there.

Friday, March 19, 2010 at 7 pm : The public is invited to attend this free screening of The Irate Birdwatcher – sponsored by the Tacoma Mountaineers at their clubhouse, 2302 North 30th St, Tacoma, WA (map)

April, 2010 : Don't miss the broadcast of our latest documentary The Irate Birdwatcher. The film is all about wilderness preservation told in the words of Harvey Manning – the legendary Northwest writer and conservationist. An abridged half-hour version of our longer 55-min film - to fit their programming - will air on KCTS television in early April. KCTS is Seattle's PBS station and broadcasts on Channel 9 in Western Washington. It also serves Yakima and Central Washington and parts of British Columbia. The airdates are as follows: Thursday, April 1 at 10:30pm; Monday, April 5 at 4:30am; Sunday, April 11 at 6:00pm. To locate a channel in your area go here: http://kcts9.org/tvschedule/channels

1.20.10 : Hot off the press...Crest Pictures' latest film Right Here, Right Now...about wilderness BASE jumping...is a Seven Summits Award Winner at the 2010 Mountain Film Festival to be held Feb 26 and 27 in Mammoth, CA.

2009 Archives

11.25.09 : The Irate Birdwatcher DVD is here now – just in time for the holidays!! See our Store to purchase.

11.20.09 & 11.22.09 : Crest Pictures is proud to announce that both The Irate Birdwatcher and Right Here, Right Now -- our two 2009 productions make their festival debuts at the Rossland Mountain Film Festival in Rossland, British Columbia

11.05.09 : The Irate Birdwatcher premiered to a big house in Seattle last evening. Our dear friend Betty Manning, wife of the late Harvey Manning, and several of their closest friends were in attendance, as well as so many others who know him through his inspiring books and monumental achievements for wilderness preservation. Thanks to the Mountaineers Club for hosting the event; with special thanks to Helen Cherullo of The Mountaineers Books for her constant support, and to Richard Barringer and Brooke Miller of the Mountaineers Productions for putting on the show.

11.03.09 : Jake Lynch, Editor of the Sammamish Reporter, writes up an inspiring story about The Irate Birdwatcher and the making of the film. Read it here.

09.30.09 : The Irate Birdwatcher is awarded Honorable Mention for "Creative Approach" at the 6th Annual Montana CINE International Film Festival.

09.29.09 : The Irate Birdwatcher will be premiering in Seattle on Nov 4 at 7 pm at The Mountaineers Bldg, 7700 Sand Point Way NE. Or, catch a sneak preview in Issaquah on Oct 28 at 7 pm at the King County Library Service (KCLS) Center, 960 Newport Way NW. The public is invited to attend these free screenings.

07.23.09 : "I don't like to call it an extreme sport; I like to refer to it more as an adventure sport. But it's certainly the kind of sport where the consequences of error are pretty high." Watch for our new film Right Here, Right Now, where wilderness BASE jumper Tom Dancs reflects on how this sport fulfills his inner needs, the ongoing efforts to legalize BASE again in U.S. National Parks...and what it takes, both mentally and logistically, to step off the edge each time.

04.15.09 : Crest Pictures newest film The Irate Birdwatcher is done. Yay! It's all about wilderness preservation...taken from the writings of Harvey Manning - the Northwest's legendary outdoor author and conservationist. Harvey's inspiring words are spoken by Earl Prebezac - a Northwest gem, the music composed by David Michael is gentle to the ears, but rocks!...and the stunning nature footage shot by Robert Chrestensen spans over nine years of filming in the backcountry of the Cascades and Olympics.

02.15.09 : Crest Pictures is currently in production on two new films due out in 2009. We're in post-production on a film about wilderness preservation which should be in the can by Apr, 2009. We're also in the field shooting another film about an extreme sport...due out by Aug, 2009.

2007 Archives

08.19.07 : Below the Clouds airing on Oregon Public Broadcasting. Crest Pictures is proud to announce the broadcast of Below the Clouds on Oregon Public Broadcasting's (OPB) long-running series Oregon Lens. Now in its ninth season, the popular program showcases a wide range of work by independent Northwest filmmakers. The film will air August 29 at 10 pm. For more information see OPB.

06.01.07 : Below the Clouds is now available at Mt Rainier National Park. In addition to Whittaker Mountaineering in Ashford -- gateway community to the park's Paradise entrance -- the DVD can also be purchased in the Jackson Visitor Center bookstore through the Northwest Interpretive Association and in the Rainier Guest Services gift shops at Longmire, Paradise and Sunrise.

04.05.07 : Below the Clouds gets another glowing review from the press. Seattle PI "Hike of the Week" columnist Karen Sykes recently reviewed Below the Clouds and the DVD for a special to the paper's Getaways section. Her comments were both insightful and poetic. We're very thankful to Ms Sykes for taking the time to really "look" at the film and for letting her readers know about it's valuable message.

03.09.07 : Below the Clouds has been accepted into the prestigious Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival for 2007. It will be screened on Sat, Mar 31 during the 5:15 session in the "Oasis" Room (#234) at Kane Hall where Washington Trails Assoc (WTA) and Conservation NW are sponsors. This "quiet-time" venue was set up to give weary festival-goers a break for relaxation and reflection - to simply enjoy nature's beauty and its wonders. Anyone already attending the festival gets free entrance to the show.

2006 Archives

12.15.06 : At last ... the Below the Clouds DVD with 38 minutes of bonus features is here and available for sale. Go to Shop to buy your copy. The film is a tribute to Rainier - The Mountain. Don't forget to sign up for our monthly e-newsletter to keep current with free screenings, media buzz and other pertinent mountain information and happenings.

12.03.06 : The Below the Clouds DVD is in post-production and should be available on Dec 15. We'll be taking orders soon. Either contact us by email or sign up for our e-newsletter to get the most up-to-date information on how to still order in time for the holidays.

11.09.06 : Below the Clouds gets glowing review from the press - Tacoma's News Tribune Outdoor Editor Jeffery Mayor gives Below the Clouds a thumb's up. "If you love Mount Rainier, a new film by Robert Chrestensen just might explain that passion." Read More

09.15.06 : Fall Premiere on Public TV - Crest Pictures announces its latest film Below the Clouds / Rainier Impressions to be aired by Seattle's KCTS Television during the third season of its award-winning program About Us - a series showcasing the work of Washington and British Columbia independent filmmakers. Mark your calendar for Nov 16 at 10 pm.

09.09.06 : NEW WEB SITE - Crest Pictures launches a Web site for its newest film Below the Clouds / Rainier Impressions. Visitors to the site will not only find the story behind this unique nature film featuring Mt Rainier, but also a film preview, photos, news and more. Sign up for the e-newsletter and keep informed about free film presentations, any press buzz, festival screenings and awards, and when and where the video will be available on DVD.

07.15.06 : CURRENT PROJECT - Watch for the debut of Crest Pictures' feature film Below the Clouds / Rainier Impressions by filmmaker Robert Chrestensen. Follow in the footsteps of the filmmaker. This is an intimate portrait of a truly unique mountain environment painted with stunning imagery and an inspiring original score by Northwest talent Annastasia Workman. Four years of filming brings this extraordinary vision of Mount Rainier to life.

06.26.06 : FILM SHOWING - Check out the exhibits at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture - currently a Chrestensen short, Wanderings, screened at the 2006 Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival, is being shown as a video loop in the bio-diversity space of their "Life and Times of Washington State" exhibit. This coincides with the international tour of the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" exhibit running through Sept 4. Filmed in Washington's legendary Enchantment Lakes, this nature film portrays the essence of a fragile wilderness with beautiful images, a captivating soundtrack by acclaimed Northwest artist Hanz Araki, and lyrical words that send a heartfelt message for preservation.